But that policy is slated to change as FDC deals with an increase in dangerous contraband and a drop in staffing levels, leaving families like the Mattsons concerned about the rehabilitation of their loved ones.

Roughly 75 family members, friends and advocates for Florida inmates were in Tallahassee on Thursday to express those concerns to FDC in a public hearing.

Rita Mattson, who wasn't able to travel to Tallahassee, said she worries about the inmates who are already dealing with cuts to re-entry programs now being faced with seeing their families less frequently.

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The Century Correctional Institution in Century, Florida on Tuesday, January 30, 2018.(Photo: Gregg Pachkowski/gregg@pnj.com)

"We don’t go every weekend because we want to space it out and allow other people to go and have their time with him — and most of the time our meeting is just wonderful — but there are times when because things are so bad in the facilities, he’s just really down," she said of her son. "It takes a toll, but at least we’re able to talk to him about it because we’re there in person with him."

The department has been going back and forth with the public since February to iron out a new visitation rule, initially suggesting each inmate have a two-hour window twice a month to visit with those on their list. That was recanted after a public hearing in April.

Currently, inmates can visit with loved ones between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. CST Saturday and Sunday and public holidays.

The most recent suggestion is to have three tiers — "standard," which is the same as the current schedule; "modified," which limits the visitation depending on circumstances like contraband or security; and "emergency," where visitation is canceled such as in a hurricane or during a riot.

FDC spokeswoman Michelle Glady said there were substantial changes between the first and second drafts of the rule, and Thursday's public hearing allowed for family and friends to give testimony for the department to consider.

It will take 10 days for the court reporter to provide FDC with a full transcript of the testimony, as well as to compile comment from platforms like email or letters. Then the department can either adopt the rule or make changes and open to a third public hearing.

Scott McCoy, Southern Poverty Law Center senior policy counsel, said Thursday’s testimony was powerful and some came from children as young as 6 whose fathers are incarcerated.

"The problem is under this rule you could get in this situation where every institution is under modified or emergency visitation and so that level becomes the new status quo," he said.

McCoy said the short-term solution of restricting visitation doesn't do much to help with contraband or staffing issues, and staff can actually have a more difficult time dealing with unhappy inmates who don’t see their families.

“It’s pretty much undisputed that visitation is a critical component in the rehabilitation and re-entry of individuals who are incarcerated, and if you don’t allow or foster that visitation, then you get greater recidivism … . If the purpose of the Department of Corrections is rehabilitation, then cutting visitation goes against that core belief,” he said.

FDC's issues with staffing and contraband have not avoided the Panhandle. The three major prisons in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties — Century, Santa Rosa and Blackwater River correctional institutions — saw an increase in prison deaths in 2017 with 23 inmate deaths, a spike from six in 2016.

Officials have said a violent environment with greater access to contraband has contributed to the high death toll.

Inmates are also turning to technology — as well as correctional officers — to get drugs behind bars. Drones have been used in an increasing number of contraband drops, and multiple officers have been charged with introducing contraband into prisons. The most recent arrest was Wednesday when a correctional officer in Gulf County was charged for allegedly smuggling narcotics into the prison.

Mattson, the Pensacola mother, said that in the last six months, the process to visit her son has become more stringent and now includes multiple searches and machines to detect electronics and narcotics.

She said she reads FDC press releases every day to keep abreast of violence and contraband inside her son’s facility and she doesn't believe cutting inmates' time with their families is the answer to such complex problems.

"I feel like visitation needs to stay. It is vital they have family support, which has always been DOC’s concern,” she said. “They’re cutting the re-entry program and all the vital factors that are going to decrease the recidivism rate.”

The public comment period for the proposed visitation rule change closed with the conclusion of Thursday’s meeting.